Typical unreliable Alfa

[Joe Garra]

My car's off the road while I'm waiting for ACQUA to arrive from Italy so I can see out of my windscreen! Lucky my local delicatessen has "connections".

[branko.gt]

Evan I found with my car that no sooner then it had run out of petrol it stopped.What next will I need to keep oil in the motor?

no, actually i have tested it and it will go without oil. 

[aggie57]

My car's off the road while I'm waiting for ACQUA to arrive from Italy so I can see out of my windscreen! Lucky my local delicatessen has "connections".

No no Joe - I'm told that you can take your car to the local BMW dealer, pay them around $1500 for an oil change and tyre kick, and one of those ACQUA bottles mysteriously arrives in the glovebox when you pick it up.  Serious - I read it in the Herald Sun - must be true!

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

Hi Evan,
I would go back to Alfa and demand they pay for a respray.  I find it unacceptable in modern times that a car should become 'grubby' looking from normal driving.
Thanks for the $5k offer but I couldn't risk our friendship by taking up your very generous offer to help.  I was the one who screwed-up by buying this rusty, electrically/mechanically challenged shitbox.  We live and learn.
Hi Ray,
Whatever you do, never add oil.  A modern car should not require major repairs like that.  It would definitely be covered under warranty and I imagine there would be a major recall over this sort of thing.
Simply unacceptable.

[Davidm1600]

Absolutely have to agree. 

I mean shouldn't also the registration cost be covered by such deals that sellers try to promote to encourage us to buy these new shitboxes.  Just because the so called warrenty ran out some years back is it really fair that I had to pay the rego today, simply so that I can continue to try to drive it, that being so long as it isn't at iminant risk of breaking down, rusting away or worse still running out of out of petrol or Aqua (who knows what that stuff is) or oil, albeit that Branko reckons they can still run without that stuff.  Bloody hell it is pretty scary stuff owning one of this ei-tie cars !!! 

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

........  Mine is still great.

[Palermo TI]

I should have listened to that knowledgeable Holden driver in the pub.
My Alfa 159ti 3.2 ran faultlessly for the 3 years it was under warranty.  In January the warranty expired and look what happened today.

Unbelievable.  I had to replace a globe!!!!
"Those Alfas.  Full of electrical problems they are", he said.
Next thing you know, it will rust and fall apart (like he said).
Dammit

Good one

[Evan Bottcher]

Another item to add to the litany of woe this 159 has caused us!  The other day the car wouldn't start temporarily!  Immediately I thought of just cutting my losses and pushing the car onto the train lines, but I took a deep breath and went to visit my local Alfa specialist.  Turns out that after some specialist diagnostics there was a faulty part - quite an obscure Italian part, I believe it was called a 'Batteria'?  Must be very poorly manufactured, as it only lasted four or five years before needing replacement.  The car is running fine now, but I live in fear of being stranded by this electrical nightmare again.

Now I'm told I need to buy new tyres as well!  I really should have bought a reliable BMW like Sheldon said...

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Now I'm told I need to buy new tyres as well!  I really should have bought a reliable BMW like Sheldon said...

Hmmm, that's not the way I remember the conversation.  I seem to remember talk of obscure things like 'rear-wheel-drive', 'better handling and ride', 'better quality interior', things like that.

[colcol]

And some more bad news about 159's, at our ZAGAME technical night, if you hit a massive pothole or curb in a 159, then you have to have the wheel alignment done ... at a dealer, not Bob Jane or anywhere else, as you need special tools, its just never ending with these Atalian cars, Colin.

[oz3litre]

We all know Alfas are unreliable because Richard said so on the Top Gear James Bond car special last night and he has owned hundreds of them.

[ANG156]

Dont know what this olio cap means in my engine bay. I couldnt find olio at my local automotive shop but a stop at coles on the way home with the missus I saw they have a vast amount of olio extra vergine in stock. Bought about 5 drums at a bargain of $10 each. Brand was carbonell-only problem is the car stinks of fried chips after each drive.

[Neil Choi]

That's the parts no. 0170, that's why you got it wrong. 

But my Alfa parts supplier can never locate what the hell is that I am after.

What weight is that olio extra verging?  If thin enough, should give more bhp.

[casperwitz]

I have spotted the cause of all the problems, Victorian number plates.